EAST RUTHERFORD -- James Bradberry didn't have anything to say in regards toward facing his former team. He didn't really need to talk, especially when Darius Slay did all the talking for him.
Whether Bradberry had any emotions toward beating his former team is a mystery. Slay has said on multiple occasions this year how he couldn't believe the Giants let Bradberry go. He didn't pull any punches after the Eagles thrashed the Giants in Bradberry's first game against the team that surprisingly cut him this offseason either.
"It definitely felt good to whoop that ass here for my boy JB," Slay said in the visitor's locker room. "It's real big for me to whoop that ass here. We whopped that ass pretty good for JB. Every time I saw somebody I was like ' whoever told JB he was cut' I saw that face on the Giants helmet and tried to whoop that ass."
Bradberry wasn't even tested by his former team, only being targeted twice in the Eagles' 48-22 blowout victory. He allowed just one catch for 7 yards, essentially a microcosm of the All-Pro season Bradberry is producing. Bradberry has allowed just 33 of the 79 passes thrown his way to be caught (41.8%), totaling three interceptions and just one touchdown given up. The 37.8 passer rating opposing quarterbacks have targeting Bradberry is the best in the NFL (minimum 50 targets).
Bradberry and Slay have formed the best cornerback duo in the NFL season, two huge catalysts behind Philadelphia's 12-1 start -- tied with the 2004 Eagles for the best start in franchise history. Together, opposing quarterbacks targeting Bradberry and Slay have just a 48.5 passer rating on the year -- with the duo allowing just three touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 45.3% completion rate.
While in the midst of his best season in the NFL, Bradberry has stayed quiet and just gone about his business on the field. Slay, on the other hand, knew how big this game was for his cornerback partner in the secondary, which is why he addressed the Eagles the night before in the team meeting.
"I got all the emotions for him. That's what brothers do," Slay said. "Looking to their sidelines, it's like 'Damn they really let JB go.'... I didn't know who cut JB, but it was just like a vision in my head. Like a vision, like 'y'all cut JB.' Lock up."
There wasn't any talking on the field from Slay to the receivers he was facing. He just wanted to make sure the Giants knew what type of player they let go in Bradberry. The message was heard loud and clear, even if it wasn't directly toward any of the players actually playing in the game.
"I don't talk trash to nobody. That's not what I do. I respect the game too much," Slay said. "I don't disrespect grown men like that. Deep down, I just wanted to whip the organization's ass because they let my boy JB go."
